A former wide receiver for the BC Lions has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of his ex-girlfriend.
Joshua Boden is accused of killing Kimberly Lynn Hallgarth, whose body was discovered in her Burnaby rental home back in March 2009.
Boden had been kicked off the Lions the previous year after being charged with three criminal counts, all of which were eventually dropped.
Authorities originally said the former CFL player was not a suspect in Hallgarth's death, but on Monday, over nine years after the crime, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team announced they have secured charges against him.
It's unclear why the investigation took so long, and IHIT would only say new evidence allowed authorities to advance the case and arrest the 33-year-old suspect on Friday.
"The simple answer is evidence cannot be rushed," Insp. Dave Chauhan said. "Every investigation has its unique characteristics and it takes time to gather new information, new leads, and that is precisely what took place in this investigation."
Boden made a brief court appearance Monday and was remanded in custody until his next scheduled appearance on Dec. 10.
The former football player's lawyer, Kevin Westell, said his client will not be pleading guilty.
"These allegations have been out in the local media. For the entirety of that time, Mr. Boden has been unwavering in his denial of his guilt in this matter, and he maintains that position today," Westell said.
Hallgarth, a single mom and tanning salon owner, was 33 years old when she was murdered.
In a statement that described the victim as bubbly and caring, her family said they'd waited nearly a decade for charges to be approved, and that they're relieved by the closure a conviction would bring.
"Only we know the unimaginable grief that our family has been going through and the toll it has taken on every family member," they said.
"What we have been going through is something that no family should ever have to experience."
They wrote that Hallgarth loved being a mother and was always able to make people laugh.
"She had a heart of gold and genuinely cared about everybody she was close to," they said.
They asked the accused, his family, friends and acquaintances to do the right thing and speak to police about any details they may have held back.
Anyone with information that could further the case is asked to contact IHIT at 1-877-551-4448 or by email. Tips can also be left anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
The full statement from Hallgarth's family follows:
First of all, we would like to thank all the members of IHIT's Cold Case Team for all their hard work and relentless efforts on this investigation.
We have waited nearly 10 long years for this moment and are relieved that closure is in sight. Only we know the unimaginable grief that our family has been going through and the toll it has taken on every family member. What we have been going through is something that no family should ever have to experience.
Kim was a bubbly and caring person who deeply loved being the mother to Hailey and the void that her murder has left in our hearts can never be filled. She loved life and was always able to make everyone around her laugh. For those of you who knew Kim, you know that she had a heart of gold and genuinely cared about everybody she was close to. We will always remember her infectious laugh.
We recognize that nothing can bring Kim back. However, we need and deserve closure and are glad to see this next step today. We strongly urge the accused, his family, friends and acquaintances who were or are aware of any details related to this incident and withheld any information from the police to come forward now and do the right thing. We understand the accused and his family have also suffered from this senseless act of violence. We can only hope that the accused will cooperate and help everyone involved move forward.
We would also like to thank our extended family and friends for their endless love and support through this extremely difficult time.
At this time, we would like to ask the media to please respect the privacy of our family.
